


Chance Meetings

by Hawkforte



Series: Emperor’s Imperium [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Force Bond (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Hux, M/M, Minor Luke Skywalker/Han Solo, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2018-12-20 03:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11912592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawkforte/pseuds/Hawkforte
Summary: A chance meeting while searching for Kyber crystals sets off a chain of events that takes the galaxy by storm.





	1. The strongest hearts have cores of Kyber

The small boy sitting in the pilot’s chair watched as the planet came into view. The blues and greens dazzled him, but, most of all, Ben was dazzled by the pull of the Force. Uncle Luke had asked his Father to come to this planet and smuggle as many kyber crystals as the Falcon’s hold could carry.   
The galaxy was on its way to stability as the Resistance worked to rebuild the government after the fall of the empire. Luke was gathering students for his Jedi School and needed the crystals for the new sabers being constructed.

Leia had argued against taking little Ben along. The New Republic was still working to bring the old Empire to heel. Han had decided to take his son with to teach him the ways of a smuggler. He knew Leia didn’t want her son to have anything to do with smuggling.

None of that mattered to Ben, he was just happy to be included in something important. Luke had told Ben stories about the kyber crystals when he was younger. How could something like a crystal be alive? He had so many questions flowing through his mind. It was better to concentrate on the questions. All of the voices were dulled when he focused on his questions. 

Ben was determined to find the perfect kyber crystal. He thought about it long and hard until he could visualize it in his mind. He could feel the crystal on the planet and couldn’t wait until they landed.

On the far side of the planet a small ginger boy sat, quietly strapped into his seat. He had done his very best to be left at home. It was much better for him when no one noticed his presence, but the admiral had wanted him to come. Today was not his day; then again, no day was his. The closer they got to the planet, the more trepidation settled around him. This trip would change his life and he wasn't sure it would be for the better.

Armitage didn’t believe in the spiritual. It was too messy, too chaotic. After all, one spiritual man with a glowing sword brought the Empire to its end. When he ruled the galaxy, there would be rules and order. Although, he thought perhaps having an enforcer would be a good thing. The people were more complacent when they had something otherworldly to believe in. He could envision his enforcer, an imposing figure, dressed in black robes, and holding a glowing saber. There was something off about the saber in the man’s hand. It didn’t look stable like the pictures he’d seen; there was a cross guard on it. As he pondered the oddity of it all, the figure reached up to pull off his helmet. His mind went quiet as eyes of deep rich caf looked straight into his soul. He was mesmerized at the beauty of the man his mind created. Even as the thought crossed his mind the figure smiled as a scar began to appear across his face. Armitage blinked, coming back to himself. Where had that thought come from?

None of it mattered anyway. Armitage had so much to do before he even needed to think about things like enforcers. He shivered a little in his seat as the ship landed on the planet. Something here was going to disrupt his ordered world. His fingernails cut into his palms as he clenched his fists and composed his face into an expressionless mask. It wouldn’t do for the admiral to see anything less than perfection. Armitage was determined to make her proud. She had saved him from his father after all. 

Armitage picked up the data pad from the seat next to him. He quietly went through the mission logs for the trip. They were here to pick up kyber crystals to power the weapons needed to wrest control of the galaxy back into the more capable hands of the First Order. There was a staggering amount of crystal needed to power the weapon Armitage wanted to build. It would be like nothing the galaxy had seen before. Surely with the weapon behind him, he could not fail.

Ben could barely sit still as Han landed the Falcon. He couldn’t wait to go out and explore! He was so sure that this was the place he would find his crystal. He overheard Uncle Luke telling his parents about kyber crystals. Ben knew that they powered the lightsabers that the Jedi wielded. Uncle Luke had said something about them being alive. Ben wasn’t certain about crystals being alive but he knew he needed one if he was going to be the greatest Jedi ever. 

“Come on kid! Let’s get going before this place is crawling with imperials. The ship has a tracker on it so we don't have much time.” Han called from hatch. Luke came running from the back room.

“What do you mean there is a tracker on the ship?! Why didn’t you say something before? I would have requisitioned a cargo ship!” Luke shouted at Han.  
It always seemed funny to Ben that his father appeared to be closer to his uncle than he was to Ben’s mother. He thought he saw the regret in his mother’s eyes when they were together but he couldn’t be sure.

“I tried to tell you! You were more interested in my…” He trailed off as he saw Ben walk up behind Luke. “Well I tried to tell you but you just would listen, other things on your mind I suppose.” Han just grinned unrepentantly and shrugged as Luke fixed him with a glare.

“I didn’t want the remnants of the empire to get wind of this place but it can’t be helped. Sooner or later, what’s left of the empire would have found it. Let’s collect as many of the crystals we can.” Luke brushed by Han. Little Ben could feel the Force reach out from Uncle Luke to wrap briefly around Han. It was fascinating to watch their bond. It grew stronger each time they went on these smuggling runs together. Ben hoped that one day he would find someone to bond with.   
“Come with me, Ben. I’ll show you how to feel the crystals we are looking for. We need kyber roughly the size of a baby’s fist. Do you think you can help me collect them?” Ben nodded and quietly followed his uncle down the ramp onto the planet. 

Armitage didn’t see the point in coming to this back-water planet for some mystical crystal but Admiral Sloane had insisted that he could learn something. So here he was, standing with a small pouch and a cutting torch. The admiral had instructed him to collect large thumb-sized crystals. When he asked why, she told him that was the size the Jedi used to power their lightsabers. The First Order was on a mission to collect the naturally grown crystals to prevent the Jedi from having readily available crystals and mining for larger kyber to power their weapons.

“This is ridiculous!” Armitage muttered to himself as he searched the area for crystals. He had been searching the rocky hills for hours and still had nothing to show for it. As he was ready to resign this futile search, a glint high on a jagged cliff face caught his eye. “About time!” He calculated the best way to scale the cliff face to get to the crystals that fit the Admiral’s description as he cautiously navigated the terrain. Finding the first hand-hold, Armitage started his accent, all the while muttering to himself about the idiocy of the mission. The stone was smooth with a scattering of jagged outcroppings where the Kyber broke off and fell away.

Armitage’s hands slipped just as he reached the crystals he needed. His miserable life flashed before his eyes as he fell. A muffled shout echoed as his body slammed onto the crystal outcropping with jarring impact, impaling himself through his heart and out his chest. He gasped as his hands curled up towards the crystal jutting out of his chest. A face swam into his vison, dark hair and deep brown eyes, blocking out his view of the sky. Fat wet drops fell on his cheeks. Was it raining? 

“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. I’m Ben Solo and I can fix this.” The voice floated around Armitage as he lay on the rock. “I’m going to break the crystal. It’s going to hurt, I’m sorry.” 

As soon as he set his foot on the planet, Ben could feel the Force from the kyber crystals wrap around him like a warm blanket. A feeling of peace wrapped around him as the voices quieted. It was an odd feeling being the only one in his head. He closed his eyes and let the sensations flow around him, enjoying the welcoming feel. He was so immersed in crystals that he felt their unease at an interloper amongst them. Ben followed the call to a cliff face, arriving in time to see a red-haired boy lose his footing and fall from the cliff face. He let out a strangled scream as he watched the boy be impaled on a spiked outcropping. Ben raced to where the boy lay. 

“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. I can fix this. I’m Ben Solo and I can fix this.” He tried to make his voice sound more confident than he felt. He gathered himself and pulled from the Force around him. The Kyber made a discordant note in his mind. Please! Please, he begged. I have to save him. I can’t watch him die. I’ll do anything to save him! 

Ben felt a hesitation from the Kyber before they bolstered him. He closed his eyes briefly weighing his options before addressing the boy once again. “I’m going to break the crystal. It’s going to hurt, I’m sorry.” Taking a deep breath, Ben, broke the Kyber sticking out of the boy’s chest. Armitage let out a strangled scream. Unable to lift the weight of Armitage’s lax frame from the remaining crystal, Ben did the only thing he could think of, he broke the other end of the crystal. His palms ripped open on the rough edges as he rolled Armitage free. The Kyber remained impaling Armitage’s heart but Ben left it, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stop the blood flow if it was removed. He quickly placed his hands on the wound, his blood mixing with that of the boy he was desperate to heal. As Ben healed Armitage, the Kyber soaked in his own blood fused with the heart as it healed around the crystal. 

Armitage closed his eyes. Why would this boy he had never met want him to live? Why did he care? His eyes sprang open and he let out a scream as the blood soaked Kyber fused with his heart. Just as he thought the intense burning pain would never stop it winked out. He blinked at the boy before finally succumbing to unconsciousness. 

“You have to live. I won’t ever let you die.” Ben whispered fiercely. He felt something inside him click like a key in a lock before he followed the boy into unconsciousness. 

Across the way, Luke felt a great rolling ripple in the Force. He dropped the Kyber he was carrying in a pile next to the Falcon and raced to where the ripple originated. He skidded to a halt as he came upon Ben draped over the body of a thin red-headed boy. He looked up as footsteps approached from the other direction. A woman in a clean pressed admiral uniform met his eyes. For a moment time seemed to slow as each contemplated their weapons. 

“Are they still alive?” The woman’s voice broke the quiet. She couldn’t lose Armitage; he was the key to keeping the commandant in line. He was highly intelligent for one so young. His ideas on how to improve his father’s training program were nothing short of brilliant.

“Yes. I can feel Ben faintly on the edge of my mind” He paused and reached out with the Force. “the other boy as well.” He left out the odd feeling he was getting from the pair. She only asked if they were living and Luke wasn’t about to volunteer information. 

Luke carefully picked up Ben checking him for injury. He was relieved to see only torn palms, easy enough to fix with a jar of bacta. He glanced back to see the woman pick up the slim red haired boy. The pool of blood on the ground was concerning; nearly three pints soaked the ground. He glanced from Ben to the other boy and back again. What happened here? What did Ben do? Luke prayed that this had nothing to do with the odd voice that Ben struggled with. 

The woman lifted Armitage, unconcerned about the blood now soaking her uniform. She checked him over with quick military precision. The amount of blood soaking the ground was disconcerting but Armitage appeared to be whole. Getting him back to the ship’s med-bay would be the best option. The cadets were nearly done gathering the kyber. It was time to leave before the New Republic sent their X-Wings. She turned away carrying the small limp body away. 

Luke looked back at the ground to see that the kyber had soaked up the blood. He saw a brief flash of a red-haired man on a throne with a masked figure beside him. He blinked and the image disappeared leaving a sheet of smooth kyber behind. He picked it up and the image flashed as the light hit it. The only option was to take it with and study it later.

Luke turned and quickly carried Ben back to the Falcon. They need to leave the planet before the Imperial officer alerted her crew. He didn’t want to alarm Han so he put Ben down in his bunk before returning to retrieve the kyber he had dropped in his haste to reach Ben. He shut the hatch and headed to the cockpit. “Let’s go Flyboy. We need to leave now. The Imperials are here and my sister will kill me if anything happens to Ben.” Luke sent a quick prayer that Han wouldn’t ask any questions.

“Well that was fast! You usually last longer than that.” Han responded with a cheeky wink as he set the Falcon for takeoff.


	2. A Knight's Vow

Admiral Sloane stood silently next to the bed as the medical droid looked over Armitage. He had been place into the bacta tank as soon as they boarded the ship, a precautionary measure on her part. There had been too much blood on the ground and on him. Armitage had seemed so fragile and broken laying by that cliff. 

“Oh, it’s you!” Armitage whirled around at the voice. The boy from the planet was watching him from the other side of the room. How in the stars had they gotten off the planet? Were they dead?

“Where are we? Where is everyone? I assumed there would be a few more people in the afterlife. I have a list of grievances that need to be addressed forthwith!” As Armitage drew in a breath to continue, Ben held up a hand.

“Yeah, about that. You aren’t dead. You fainted after I healed you. Well I did too but you definitely fainted after the wound closed. I’m sorry about that. I don’t have much experience in healing using the Force. My uncle has some books about it. I’ve read a few of them so I’m pretty sure I did it right. Well maybe not right. I didn’t want to pull the crystal out because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to stop the blood. It worked though! I’m really happy.” Ben prattled on while Armitage stared at him in disbelief.

“Cease and desist.” Armitage scrubbed a hand over his face. “In all of that, you still have not answered where we are.”

“Oh.” Ben looked sheepishly at him. “I made this place in my head. It’s somewhere the voice can’t get to me. I can be me here.”

“In your head?” Armitage’s brow crinkled as Ben nodded. “For a moment pretend that I am willing to go along with your delusion. How am I here with you?”

“I can use the Force!” At Armitage’s scowl Ben’s shoulders slumped and he seemed to deflate. “The Kyber crystal is living. When I broke the pieces off my hands got cut of the sharp edges. My blood soaked into your wound while I healed it. You may be sensitive to the Force now.” 

“That crystal is still inside me?!” Ben nodded. “No.” Armitage whispered. “I will never get into the academy now. We are not allowed to have any type of augmentation.” Armitage began to pace. How could he fix this?

Ben was so wrapped up in misery that his new friend hadn’t wanted to be saved, he missed the shadows seeping in around the bulkheads. 

“Little Jedi. Come out, come out wherever you are! I can make you the most powerful being in the galaxy. Come to the Darkside. I will teach you things you’ve never dreamed.” The insidious voice whispered as the shadows crept along the floor. Armitage stopped pacing and glanced up at Ben. The other boy was visibly shaking. What type of being would cause the Force user such concern?

“No! Please go away!” Ben shouted, holding up his hands. Armitage walked over to the shaking boy and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Who is that? I was not aware that anything could get in here uninvited.” He watched with interest as Ben straightened at the touch.

“I won’t let him have you.” Ben turned his head and look straight into Armitage’s eyes. He looked older in that moment and Armitage felt a strange sense of de je vu when looking into those dark caf colored eyes. “I swear to you that you will get into the academy. I will make sure of it. If you ever need me reach out to me and I will answer. My saber is yours. Give me your name and I will make my vow binding.”

Armitage held his gaze, “I am Armitage Hux. Give me your vow my knight.” The words were pulled from deep within him as though his future self was demanding the bond.

“The shadows gather and the galaxy shudders. I will stand at your side and stem the onslaught. I will be your Force against Force as you will be the cunning against ignorance. Your enemies will become my enemies and I will triumph over them.” Armitage could feel the vows binding Ben to him. Together they would bring the unruly galaxy to heel.

As the shadows deepened the voice continued to whisper. “I see you little Jedi. I will teach you what you need to know. Come to me and I will spare your companion.” Ben gave Armitage one last look before turning to face the threat.

“You will not touch him, monster!” Closing his eyes, Ben gathered the Force around himself. Armitage could feel the energy as Ben shaped it, he tightened his hand on Ben’s shoulder to lend his energy. The added energy rushed into Ben filling every part of him until it poured out of him on a scream. The voice and shadows were shoved out of the room as the doors and windows slammed shut. Armitage was thrown back into the wall. He watched in fascination as the form of Ben appeared to split in two; the darker half turned to Armitage and reached out his hand.

Armitage sat straight up in bed clasping his chest and gasping for breath. “No! He’s mine!” He blinked at the droid next to the bed. “Where? What have you done with him?”

“Who are you talking about Armitage? You are in the Med Bay. The troopers have finished collecting the crystal from the planet. We are headed to the rendezvous point. The academy classes are due to begin in five cycles and I will not have you late for the first day.” Sloane wondered if perhaps Armitage was talking about the boy that the Jedi came for. She watched his eyes flick towards her as his mind focused back into the present.

“Yes. Lateness is intolerable.” In the back of his mind Armitage remembered a voice assuring him that he would get into the academy that he wanted. He just needed to be patient, continue his work, and soon the galaxy would fall at his feet.


	3. Parting Ways

     “Please wake up, Ben. We are almost home and I don’t want your mother to be worried.” In the dimly lit bunk Ben opened his eyes. The shadows seemed to swirl around him before sinking into his skin.  
     Luke gave a small shudder at the odd sight. He tried to brush it off as an overactive imagination but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was another presence in the room. The feeling intensified when Ben opened his eyes and looked at him. Something cold and calculating looked back at him. It was as though the second presence was weighing the danger before dismissing him.  
     “It won’t matter. She is too busy to be bothered. I’m sure she will be in meetings. I have things to do anyway.” Luke frowned as Ben turned away from him and walked out of the room toward the cockpit to help his father. They were landing at the New Republic headquarters and Ben wanted to work on his piloting skills. He knew he would need them in the near future. His emperor would need them.  
     Luke sighed as he watched Ben walk away. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was coming. It may be time to talk to Leia about allowing him to train Ben at his new Jedi academy. The boy had so much untapped raw power he worried that it if Ben wasn’t trained he would self-destruct. This latest incident while gathering kyber worried Luke the most. He wasn’t sure of the entire situation only what he came upon after. The greatest concern was that Ben may have Force bonded with that strange boy. He seemed different now, somehow colder. When he met Ben’s gaze it was as though someone else looked out at him.  


“Hey, kid. Sit down so we can land this thing.” Han looked back from the co-pilot’s seat as Ben walked in. The boy was unusually silent as he sat down. He reminded himself that Leia said this was a good bonding experience for them so he shrugged it off. What he couldn’t ignore was the controls moving on their own in front of him. He glanced over at his son. Ben was competently handling the Falcon all on his own. The controls that he wasn’t quite tall enough to reach would move at a gesture from his hand. “That’s some trick you got there, kid.”  
     Ben turned to address his father “Tricks are for children. These are skills that I need to develop to keep the galaxy under control.” Han had to bite back his reaction to tell Ben that he was just a kid. He was more than a little worried about that last bit. Control the galaxy? That was weighty stuff for a kid to be thinking about. Ben’s gaze unnerved him. It was almost like someone or something else was looking through those eyes. Maybe it was time to give in and let Luke teach the kid. He’d have to talk to Leia about it. That was one conversation he was most definitely not looking forward to.

     “Ma’am? Your family has landed.” Leia glanced up from the holopad with the latest Senate notes, a small frown lining her mouth. They were due back tomorrow, not today. She had made time to meet them on the landing pad. Tomorrow. With a sigh, she reached out and found that her family was indeed on the planet. Shelving her disgust at the interruption of her schedule, she set the holopad down and rose.

     Han glanced over as he did his post flight check of the Falcon. Leia was striding toward them. She never failed to make his heart race; then again so did Luke. They were a combination that he was powerless to resist but what was he going to say to her about the kid? She already looked peeved. It was probably better to wait, let Luke talk to her first. Luke could soften her up then Han would find a way to work it into conversation.  
     “You’re early. You said the trip would take a week because you had to dodge imperial ships. I better not have to move the resistance base again.” Han held up his hands in defense.  
     “I gathered what I needed in a shorter time than expected. It’s nothing to worry about. The base is still safe. Han and I are just here to check in before we off load the crystals to the academy.” Luke responded from behind him. Han let out a small sigh of relief. He was glad Leia wasn’t as proficient in the Force as she should be. If she was, she would have found out about him and Luke years ago. Her temper wasn’t something to be trifled with.  
     Leia glanced between Luke and Han. There was something they weren’t saying about the trip. She couldn’t put her finger on it but there was something the pair were hiding. It was more than their usual secrets that were clouded. Leia felt a presence pressing against her mind; she pushed back and heard a small grunt. Glancing down, she noticed Ben standing just behind Han. When had he gotten here? Was the presence pushing on her mind her little boy?

     Ben stared back at his mother. She had felt the mental push. He would have to work on that. It would be important to his emperor that he could get into people’s heads without them knowing. It would be key to his emperor’s negotiations. He waited for his mother to turn back to Uncle Luke. They were discussing Luke’s new school. The school would be a good place to recruit other Force users to his Emperor’s cause. Grandpa Vader had followers so Ben knew they would be important for him to have them as well. It was better to have the Force users under control. An Imperial guard was an important thing his emperor would need.

     Armitage carefully did up the buttons on his new uniform and smoothed out imagined creases. This was the first day of classes and he needed to present the best impression possible. He would give the old man no valid reason for berating him. Let his father make a fool of himself, as for Armitage he would project the cool calm he was becoming known for. If only he could rid himself of the nervous habit of scratching his hands. The tic had begun after the incident with the boy, Ben. Since then he felt as though something inside him was trying to project outward when he became stressed. If that was not bad enough he had the strangest urge to craft something.  
     “Armitage. It’s time to leave. You have precisely enough time to get to class before it begins. I know I don’t have to tell you to do your best, I expect it.” Admiral Solane said from the doorway.  
     “Yes, Admiral. I will leave at once.” Armitage responded picking up his small bag of belongings. Everything he owned was packed neatly in the bag ready for transport to the academy. He was not looking forward to living with so many of his peers. Military or not, they were sure to be messy and noisy. Armitage could not tolerate mess or unnecessary noise and the very idea of both together brought out his tic.

     Armitage shifted slightly adjusting for the wind and squeezed the trigger. He watched in satisfaction as the enemy cadet dropped before moving to the next target. The tall woman glanced his way as if sensing his presence. Armitage took a deep breath as he felt his chest heat as the air around him shifted. The woman’s eyes passed over his hiding place and he breathed a small sigh of relief before squeezing the trigger. He watched the woman drop and a cheer went up from his team. This was the twenty-fifth combat exercise that his team had won. The other cadets had begun to argue over who’s team he would be on for each exercise. They had learned the hard way that Armitage was not someone to trifle with. Many of them had only retained the lesson after an overnight in the infirmary.  
     He glanced over in surprise when the tall woman from the training field plopped into the seat next to him.  
     “That was some impressive shooting today. You really excel at leading your team to victory and I can tell that you are going to move up the ranks quickly. I’d like to be there when you do.” The woman addressed him.  
     “I find it interesting that you believe I should allow you to ride my coat tails. What have you done to prove to me that you are worth my time? Thus far every match we have had has come out with me the victor.” Armitage ruthlessly cut off her reply with one hand. “I will give you the chance to prove yourself, I am magnanimous like that.” Before dismissing her completely he flipped through his notes. “Take this information with you and tell me what you would do to improve the program.” He handed her a small drive containing his completed revamp of the Stormtrooper program. He was curious to see what her thoughts were on the program. Armitage had worked with it already, tweaking things here and there.

     Leia sat quietly in her office contemplating all the decisions that had brought her to this place and time. The time was fast approaching for Ben to choose his own path. She had done her best to instill all the knowledge of a statesmen in him to push him down the path she wished. Tomorrow he would go to study with Luke at his new Jedi academy and learn the skills of the Force. Oh, how she wished it could be her teaching him but it was just not to be. Luke would teach him control, if he could get him to listen long enough for it to sink in. Lately, all Ben would talk about was ‘his emperor’. That just wouldn’t do! He needed these next few years to concentrate on his studies and gain much needed control. Something would have to be done to hone those thoughts in case they became to imbedded and interfered with her ultimate goals for the galaxy.

   The light cast shadows of the hunched figure as they worked. Kyber was scattered across the table in front of them. Each piece was carefully picked up and examined before being carefully joined to either the torc or the gauntlet next to it. The morning sun was just beginning to creep across the floor when the last piece of Kyber was placed in the gauntlet. Seemingly satisfied with the work, the figure turned to the torc. Taking a small vial, they carefully poured the red liquid over the torc, watching as the torc soaked up every drop. The torc and the gauntlet were placed in a nearby box with a scrap of paper tucked in with them. The address was neatly written on the outside of the box with a formal correspondence attached.  
     The door opened without a sound as the shadowed figure crept closer to the sleeping boy. A hand reached out to smooth the wayward hair off his sleeping face.  
“This is for the good of the galaxy my little prince.” The figure whispered as they gathered the Force around them and sent it outward into Ben’s sleeping form.  
Inside Ben’s mind, he cried out as one he trusted betrayed him. He curled in on himself as he reached for the other that lived inside. He shook as the other stepped forward to take control. Ren glanced down at the huddled form of Ben. “Go to him. Follow the path he has left us. You will be safe within his mind, learn all you can, I will take control and I will train our body. Go, be with our Emperor.  
     Ben looked up to see the conviction Ren exuded. He swallowed his tears and nodded. “Okay. I will go, but how will I find my way back to myself?”  
     “The Emperor will put us together again so that we may serve him.” Ren answered. Ben nodded as he began to fade, following the path to Armitage’s mind.  
Armitage shifted uneasily in his sleep. Two similar voiced floated just on the edge of his dream. It was the same hazy dream he always had since the incident with Ben. Each time he tried to bring the dream into focus, it would fade away like blaster smoke. Oddly, with the voices came clarity. What he first thought of as haze turned out to be snow. The scene around him cleared further, trees began to form in the snow, the ground began to shake and crack as he walked. He followed a zig-zag path through the trees until he came upon a dark figure laying in a pool of crimson. Armitage could feel his heart squeeze painfully as he approached the figure. As he reached out to turn the body, he felt as though his mind was being shredded.  
     Armitage sat bolt upright in his bunk clutching his head and trying not to vomit. His head was screaming in pain and he felt as though his head might burst. There was a rush of lava in his veins as he sat there riding the wave of agony. Through the pain, he felt something cool brush his mind almost like a whisper. The pain slowly faded as it was replaced with an icy wash. The ice brought with it a clarity of mind and a laser focus. A chilling smile tugged at his lips as he lay back in his bunk; everything was beginning to fall into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is late!! Life decided I needed a swift kick in the ass. I am working on chapter four now. Both myself and my editor are on vacation so I'm hoping to finish part one this week.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the newest part in what was supposed to be a one-shot Kylux. 
> 
> Please feel free to comment.


End file.
